Frank Beck Chevrolet assists robotics team

Monday

Apr 8, 2013 at 8:55 AMApr 8, 2013 at 8:55 AM

By Nancy Hastings

nancy.hastings@hillsdale.netWhen David Beck, co-owner of Frank Beck Chevrolet in Hillsdale, read about a local team of students competing with other bigger schools, he wondered how he could assist them.The team of 10 from North Adams-Jerome High School competed in a series of tournaments in March, qualifying them for the state championship in their first year and placing them in the Finalist Alliance team for Ultimate Ascent, a robotics competition.In addition to receiving second place medals, they acquired the district, rookie and finalist awards to display at their school. A respect award was given to them by the most senior team.Coach Chris Voisin said the team’s winnings during their first year of competition were made possible by a grant from JC Penny. The team consulted with students from Kettering University to build the robot’s frame, and Lomar Machine and Tool in Horton was the team’s sponsor. Voisin said more local sponsors were needed if the team was going to be able to progress.The car dealership at 3750 W. Carleton Road donated $2,500 to help the team with supplies and travel expenses. Voisin said $10,000 a year is needed for the team’s expenses, including entry fees.“We’re looking three years out,” Voisin said. “We want to make the program the leading one in south-central Michigan. There is no other school in the county doing this…this is what the kids’ future is.”It’s not the first time the dealership has helped out local teams. Frank Beck Chevrolet likes being involved in the community, has sponsored numerous little league teams and employees do Meals on Wheels every Wednesday.David Beck said some of the office personnel are North Adams-Jerome graduates and the secretary, Darcy Southworth, has a son, Mitchell, who is on the team.“These kids could be the future minds of General Motors some day,” David Beck said.The team requested special permission from state tournament officials to unveil the robot to show personnel at the dealership since rules require the robot to remain covered between competitions.Junior George Voisin, who served as the team’s programmer and driver, said he tried to get the wireless connection to work during the demonstration, but was experiencing difficulty since the robot was trying to connect to the dealership’s connection. So, with a laptop and joy stick, he ran the robot in front of the dealership showing it’s potential.Upon seeing the finished product, David Beck said he was impressed.“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s a little more advanced than the erector sets I made as a kid.”The team will be traveling to the championship to meet with a panel of judges to be interviewed April 13 at Eastern Michigan University to explain why they are the top rookie team in the state of Michigan. If chosen, they will represent Michigan at the World Championship in St. Louis, MO. The entry fee for the competition is $4,000.“If we stay ranked in the top 64 teams in the state, then we go and also compete with our robot,” Voisin said.Junior Logan Carr said the whole competition has opened his eyes to something new. He and other club members agree that the skills they’ve learned will serve as a foundation they can later build on.“You don’t know the opportunity exists till you get into it,” Logan said.Emily McKinney, also a junior, said she was shocked and really happy to hear about the dealership’s interest and donation to the club.“We’ve had several fundraisers to help pay for costs, so this will also help,” Emily said.The majority of funding goes toward the kit used to build the robot. Components include motors, wheels, drive train, belts and joy sticks among other items.When helping build the robot, Emily said she did some of the wiring, which she found challenging, but fun. She noted the classes she has been taking in school have been useful. Her main function has been to take pictures for publicity on Facebook and Twitter.“It would be amazing if we could go on to the world competition in St. Louis,” she said.